Hammer did so much to reinvigorate the horror genre. I'm a huge fan and I love most of their films. This one isn't a bad vampire film. However, it does have to contend with the Hammer legacy and being part of the Hammer cannon. It is fairly pedestrian by Hammer standards and is badly wounded by the absence of Lee, Cushing, Gough, et al.
There are two sequences in my mind which make this film worth watching. The first is during the middle part of the film. the group of vampires weave a conspiracy and try to convince the husband that he's delusional and living in a fantasy world. The wife he claims to have never actually existed. His growing sense of panic and self doubt is effective and, hey, how can you not be pulling for him to discover the truth? The second part and pay dirt for this film is the ending -- originally intended for Brides of Dracula. Although the effects are dated and, I would argue, unintentionally funny initially, they do the job satisfyingly. Likely a bit more frightening for contemporary audiences, the ending here is grim, brutal and drawn out.
Overall this film isn't bad. For me it has genre issues. Even if one were only to count it among Hammer vampire films, it would fit somewhere in the bottom third. Certainly better than the wretched 'Dracula A.D. 1972' but weaker than 'Brides of Dracula.' It IS a good use of an hour and a half and perhaps not a bad introduction to what Hammer would do better in other films.
There are two sequences in my mind which make this film worth watching. The first is during the middle part of the film. the group of vampires weave a conspiracy and try to convince the husband that he's delusional and living in a fantasy world. The wife he claims to have never actually existed. His growing sense of panic and self doubt is effective and, hey, how can you not be pulling for him to discover the truth? The second part and pay dirt for this film is the ending -- originally intended for Brides of Dracula. Although the effects are dated and, I would argue, unintentionally funny initially, they do the job satisfyingly. Likely a bit more frightening for contemporary audiences, the ending here is grim, brutal and drawn out.
Overall this film isn't bad. For me it has genre issues. Even if one were only to count it among Hammer vampire films, it would fit somewhere in the bottom third. Certainly better than the wretched 'Dracula A.D. 1972' but weaker than 'Brides of Dracula.' It IS a good use of an hour and a half and perhaps not a bad introduction to what Hammer would do better in other films.